Definitive Evidence
by fan-nerd
Summary: Dojima is intent on finding out exactly whom his nephew has been seeing, but this is surprisingly more difficult than he'd thought it would be. Yu/Yosuke.


A/N: There's a lot of reasons for this fic, but the most prominent is that I had a lot of Yosuke feels after playing through P4 Arena. There's nothing spoilery from that game, but here you are, lovelies. This takes place in the game, starting around June. Hope you enjoy. :3

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_**Definitive Evidence**_

* * *

_And every demon wants his pound of flesh,_

_But I like to things to myself._

_I like to keep my issues strong._

_It's always darkest before the dawn._

_-"Shake It Out", _Florence & The Machine

* * *

Dojima thought that his nephew was a bit strange, and perhaps quieter than he remembered teenagers being, but it was a blessing as well as a curse. It meant that Yu could take care of himself, had his own life and personality that he had no influence over, and his lips were tight on issues he felt no desire to discuss—like his involvement in the murder cases. The man had resolved himself to getting no further information from the young adult, for the time being, anyhow, so he settled on the couch with a cup of coffee, and let out a long sigh.

Summer was coming around to Inaba, and with the change in seasons, he felt the need to shed his dress shirt from work after he'd loosened his tie, sitting there, sipping on coffee, absently wondering why Nanako wasn't glued to the television today. Upon further inquiry when his nephew returned, it seemed that she'd be staying at a friend's house this evening. He sent the grey-haired youth a look, that he either shrugged off or did not notice, because he dug through the fridge without saying a word, and prepared his lunchbox for the following day. He smelled something delicious, and quietly hoped that his nephew might offer him some without his asking.

He did, and Dojima smiled. Yu was such a polite brat, but he was awfully stubborn about some things. Like when it came to how he'd started staying out so late with that kid from Junes who'd come to town half a year before he had, and the pretty girl from the traditional inn, as well as her friend, the energetic tomboy who was friends with her. Unlike Nanako, Yu was almost an adult, as well as a boy, so his interest in who the kid was romantically and platonically affiliated was different. Of course, he worried that his nephew was getting himself tangled in some sort of mess, and his gut told him that his worry was on-target. Not to mention, his nephew had just somehow befriended their small town's most notorious delinquent, and although he knew Tatsumi wasn't all bad, it only heightened his concerns.

Dojima wanted to make sure the kid was happy here, and Yu was so mature that it, instead, made him feel like he was being parented, rather than vice-versa. Still, he wondered. Maybe the boy was interested in the boisterous girl with a bob? No, no, it was too soon…he'd only been here around two months. Then again, they said kids progressed a lot faster than they had back in his day, and he was certainly out of touch with that aspect of adolescence. The Amagi girl, then? She was perfectly polite, had a distinguished air, and was a lovely girl; there was nothing he would've said to discourage his nephew from courting her. He imagined his sister would approve of them as well; then again, he imagined his sister would be fine with anyone her son brought home. She'd always been an open-minded sort, and her husband seemed to be just the same. Of course, this was all inferred. In reality, Ryotaro had only spent a few days with them years ago, on one vacation a couple of years after their wedding. Yu had been only a toddler, so it was out of the question that he would've remembered this visit, but this was the only time he'd spent time with the two of them, his sister as bubbly and fast-talking as always, loving the city life more and more with every passing year, excited about her new job, and her adoring husband, who made silly jokes and spoke fondly of his work.

Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he clicked the television on, and then pressed the code for the news, which he had probably half daydreamed through already. A plate of steaming something-or-another (he could see the potatoes, and smell the parsley and garlic, but other than that, the four small dishes seemed familiar, but he couldn't name them if asked) was placed beneath his noise, and he made a happy sort of grunting noise. "Thanks."

"No problem," Yu answered over the sound of his chopsticks clicking together as he pressed his hands together to give thanks for the food. A moment after uttering the phrase, he began eating at a steady pace, feet folding underneath him as he sat at the table in front of the television. They said nothing to each other for a while, so after a few moments, Dojima awkwardly broke the tension by speaking about what he'd been thinking about previously.

"So," He waited to say something else until after he'd shuffled around and come down to his spot, had swallowed down a sip of coffee after the potatoes, and continued. "Got anyone you like?"

Yu might have clenched up and turned a shade pinker than usual, but his face certainly gave away none of his discomfort, for it was as carefully blank as it always was. "Nothing serious. It has only been a couple months since I moved here, after all." The answer was well thought out, and surprisingly close to what Dojima had thought himself.

"Hmmm," He mused about his reaction humoredly, because Yu really was a kid after all. Kids were shy about the people they liked around adults, but this reaction only made him all the more curious. "It's gotta be Satonaka or Amagi, right? Heard you and the kid from Junes, as well as Tatsumi were hanging out on that side of town quite a bit these days."

"His name's Hanamura," Yu added, putting more food in his mouth, and then chewing before going on. "He and the girls are in my homeroom, and Kanji…well, you know, Amagi knew him already, and we hit it off shortly afterwards." The latter part of that sentence felt like a fib, but Dojima simply narrowed his eyes, and did not currently push the issue. "They've been very kind to me."

"Hmm," Dojima hummed around a mouthful of food again, and they didn't say anything else about this subject at the time.

x

The seasons had passed, and before anyone has noticed, it is October. The weather is getting colder, and Yu is only making more and more friends. His house is livelier than it's been in ages, and Nanako's eyes are brighter than they've been in years. He and Yu had come to something of an understanding, and they were feeling like real family now. Although he still got into it with the kid at times, because something about all these cases and the people he hung around was driving his detective knack absolutely insane, but he had agreed, for Nanako's sake, to put that feeling on the backburner, for the sake of their family.

As that was the case, Dojima could only wonder, with all these girls around, why he never saw more of them than the other.

Between summer gatherings into their fall transition back to school, it felt like Yu and his friends were meeting and chatting at his house every other weekend. Somehow, he'd befriended the model, Rise (don't get him started on how or why the two of them had even come in contact, because just thinking of how Yu and his little group had gotten to the girl first made his hackles rise), the young detective, Naoto (and that one was polite enough, but had eyes cold enough to freeze a lesser man in his tracks), some foreign looking kid who, in his opinion, doted on his six-year old daughter more than he felt comfortable with, and still hung out with the overly pierced, misunderstood thug Tatsumi, the Hanamura kid from Junes, Amagi, and Satonaka.

Naoto had been apparently busy this afternoon, so he (she? Some rumor around town had it that he was a girl after all, but honestly, Dojima couldn't have cared less) had opted not to come, Kanji was helping his mom out at the family textile shop, and Rise was similarly helping her grandmother out at the tofu shop in the old shopping district. This left Amagi, Satonaka, and Hanamura relaxing with his nephew, cups of tea thudding on the wooden table of the living room, chatting easily with his daughter, and his usually stone-faced, but today smiling, relative. He didn't want to seem like he was reading too much into it, the Saturday evening they were all gathered as he returned from work, but that goofy look in Yu's eyes certainly seemed like the sort of romantic affirmation, sharing glances with a crush or something equally sappy.

The thing was, he still couldn't tell who it was directed at. Because he looked like he was having so much fun, Dojima figured that they were just enjoying themselves, as a group. The dark-haired heiress of the locally renowned inn seemed to be laughing without reservation today, no longer trying to hide it politely behind her hands. She seemed comfortable, but not overly so. Chie looked just as fearless and endearingly childish—she wasn't putting on airs for the boy she liked, or otherwise her way of showing it was strange. The weirdest thing Dojima had felt, however, this evening, was both his nephew and the other boy's hard stares, looking like they were sizing him for something. They shared a look, and Dojima felt suddenly on edge, but they resumed talking to their friends shortly after, so he didn't have time to shoot them a scathing look back. After they had all left, except Yosuke, the man pulled his nephew aside.

The detective scratched the back of his head and sighed, trying to remain quiet, whilst Yosuke let himself up the stairs to Yu's bedroom, and Nanako went to her room. "You aren't hiding anything from me, are you? About those girls?"

Yu shook his head after a moment, looking confused. "No…?"

He sighed and shuffled his feet, and finally let out with it, feeling himself color in the face, although he hadn't had anything alcoholic to drink this evening. "I'm just saying…y'know, it's great that you're fittin' 'round here, and that…oh damn it." His accent was thicker when he was nervous, and he was feeling so uncomfortable, and the kid just kept staring at him, waiting for him to spit out whatever it was that he had to say. "If you've got a girl or somethin', it's fine! I mean, Nanako and I aren't here all the time…I'm not your dad or nothin', so…" That did it, and now Yu was flushing and stuttering just like he was. "I mean, be careful! Protection, birth control, or god forbid thinking about getting married now. It's a small town, so it ain't that strange, but you're still only seventeen."

"Thanks, Uncle," Yu was beet red, holding a hand over his mouth and the other in front of him to stop his ramblings. "I'll…keep all of that in mind." He rushed up the stairs more quickly than he had any other day in the six months he'd been living with the Dojimas. The policeman kept tossing thoughts in his head – about Yu growing up before his very eyes, about whatever secrets he was hiding, but it was strange and oddly comfortable.

x

The season had changed again, and a whole world of issues had been brought to light, as well as lives affected forever. His precious baby girl had almost died, and none other than the boy he'd accused, worried over, and lastly trusted, had saved her, together with his friends. The world inside the television sounded like nothing other than the highest form of fantasy, but he didn't care about any of that right now. He knew Yu had been saving the victims now, and that was important. He knew they were all alive and well thanks to the boy—_his_ boy, he felt, even though he was his uncle, and knew that his father was doing just fine. Still, even though the case had closed, and Nanako was home safe, something was nagging at the man, who'd only just gotten out of the hospital himself.

He never had found out who his handsome nephew had been courting this whole time. He felt there had to be someone, because now, rather than simply being out of the house, it seemed he'd come home with a pep in his step, and on the rare occasions Dojima and his daughter were both gone, the place smelled freshly cleaned upon his return, like the boy was trying to discard the evidence of what he'd done while they were out.

His answer would not come until after the boy had finished his term, left, and come back. He'd just been thinking about him, when he returned for golden week, just two months after he'd departed Inaba, his unknown significant other left there in the countryside, smiling and looking confident and older and his uncle was proud of him.

As per usual, people surrounded Yu—it was an incredible sort of phenomenon, and Dojima was now thankful for this trait. It had helped him adapt to this place quickly, and sustain friendships that would last forever. The uncle to the teenager, who was eighteen, and closer to become an adult every day, watched happily as they came, cheery and loud as they were prone to be. He was warming up to the Tatsumi's boy, feeling better now that he wasn't out terrorizing the townsfolk, and was instead selling something out in front of his parents' place. Naoto felt more comfortable, even though she couldn't always make it to their little gatherings, and the starlet was busy too, but she always made time for them. Nanako laughed along with them, forever entertained by their antics. Teddie (Dojima thought it was a strange name, but he decided not to pursue that curiosity) was harmlessly flirting with his daughter, and he stepped in to nip that in the bud, just before Yosuke elbowed him in the gut, the two tackling each other and rolling around like siblings. Yu was laughing with the girls, and Dojima still couldn't piece together the boy's relationships. They were all so close…it was difficult.

So, he was highly shocked, and a lot confused, to find the Hanamura kid looking through their cupboards, with no sign of Yu anywhere nearby. He stopped like he'd been caught in a pair of headlights and froze, obviously not expecting his friend's uncle to have returned so quickly. Detective's intuition seized him, and he grabbed the boy's arm, giving him a stern look. "How'd you get in?" He sounded old and tired, and felt it, in the moment.

Yosuke, almost exactly as he'd expected, smiled sheepishly, and stood with a slouch, one hand going up to his nose to scratch at it nervously. "Hiya, Dojima-san."

Dojima sighed again. "Please don't tell me you got in here like I think you did."

He managed a lopsided grin and said, "Through a wish and a prayer, turning into pixie dust, and slipping through door cracks?"

"I'll take you down to the station to show you a lesson," The officer of the law was rewarded with a sigh and strange laugh. "Trust me, I'm doing this for your own good. What would Yu think if his friends were sneaking in and out of our house?"

Yosuke barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Yu's uncle opened a door in the car, handcuffed the boy, and drove off. Maneuvering his phone out of his pocket, Yosuke shot his friend a message, saying, _ pol station; caught by unc. C u l8r. _His phone was soon after confiscated, and he wondered, where, exactly, things had gone wrong.

Hours later found the cop who was supposed to be off duty sitting outside of a cell they used for threats like this, and Dojima wasn't honestly that pissed about the whole thing, but he _did_ want an explanation from his nephew about why he'd been letting Yosuke break into their house for a while, because the boy certainly hadn't seemed shy or foreign to the surroundings at all. His nephew came by in the evening, some time after he and Yosuke had driven down here, looking exasperated.

"Nice handcuffs," Yu commented blithely to his brunette friend, who shot him a smirk back, and Dojima stepped between their visual communications. "Uncle Dojima, look—I'm sorry about this whole thing. Yosuke didn't 'break in' or anything. Sometimes I'll let him borrow my key, if I know I won't be back for a while."

Glaring, Dojima felt an anger rise in him he hadn't felt since before Yu had saved his child. "And you'd risk leaving a reckless kid in there with my _daughter?_"

"I resent that!" Yosuke chimed in from behind them, and with good reason.

Yu looked harsh, defending him. "You can trust Yosuke with Nanako just as much you'd trust me, but that's not the point. I know this isn't the best time to be discussing this, but _he's_ the one who always comes over when you and Nanako are out."

Dojima doesn't think there's much wrong with that sentence until he thinks about it again, and then all three of their ears are red. Stuttering to form a sentence, Dojima finally managed, "Seriously?!"

"Not so loud," His nephew hissed warningly, and his uncle settled down in turn. Yu sighed. "I know I should've told you—there was always the chance that you'd come back early one of these days."

"Er—it, um, wasn't…" Dojima felt embarrassed for all of them; but mostly for his mistake, and hurried decision to correct Yosuke's perfectly legal behavior. The brunette had probably complied to make things easier. Resisting would've only made him seem more suspect, after all, so it was safer to let Yu come and explain things to him, rather than hurrying together some pathetic excuse.

"No, it wasn't Yukiko. Or Chie, or Rise, or Naoto. Now, we've all had long days, and I just got home from a part-time job, and I missed out on some time with my _boyfriend_, so could we all go home now, please?" Yu sounded a little testy, but it was all hidden under his flat tone and expression.

"Sure, uh, sorry for the trouble," Dojima hadn't the slightest clue how to react in situations like this, so he did what he did best, and fumbled through things, messing them up. He unlocked the handcuffs, and walked side by side with Yosuke, the two of the already cracking jokes about the situation.

They all agreed not to bring the situation up, but when Dojima found them, apparently making up for lost time, and the house wasn't quite clean yet (thank goodness Nanako had agreed to go somewhere for the day yet again), he felt mortified. He had, admittedly, opened Yu's door without knocking, and had no one to blame but himself when he found Yosuke handcuffed and splayed out on the boy's futon.

The brunette looked like he was ready to curl up and die, and Dojima felt a hundred times worse than he did. "I'll agree not to say anything if you won't," Yosuke said, and the man nodded, slipping back out of the house, and driving back to the precinct without a single thought in his head.

He did, however, remember to thank Yu for cleaning up after himself later, and reprimand him for not locking his door.

The mystery of his nephew's romance was suddenly solved, but Dojima had just invited in a whole other world of issues by finding out with whom he was involved.

Upon arriving at the office parking lot, he let his head fall against the steering wheel and groaned. "Being a parent is so hard."

x

"Yu?" The brunette rubbed his chaffed wrists, proud of the marks but ashamed of who had walked in on him, mussed hair, smelling like sex, and still tied up.

"Yeah, Yosuke?" His partner, in more ways than one, shot him a knowing look, sifting long fingers through his hair.

"Next time, we're doing it at my place."

"…Agreed." Yu said quietly, just before kissing him, and Yosuke sighed into his mouth, just glad the whole ordeal was over with.


End file.
